WILLIAMSPORT – They will play the biggest game of their young lives tonight, but you couldn’t tell that from yesterday’s shenanigans.

In typical Toms River East American fashion, the Beasty Boys of Summer had a blast in practice before the rains came, clowning with each other and the coaches in a competitive round of batting practice. Expect them to take that same attitude onto the field tonight when they battle Phenix City, Ala., for the U.S. Championship in the 53rd Little League World Series. Toms River East was 3-0 in pool play and has not lost here in two years. Japan will play Puerto Rico in the first game for the International title. The winners will meet Saturday for the championship.

“I hope they stay loose,” manager Mike Gaynor said of his team. “I don’t think they’ll tighten up. We’ve had big games all along. There will be a lot of fans out there supporting them, and I think they’ll go out there and have fun with it.”

“We always fool around, but before the game we’ll get ready,” said team ace Casey Gaynor, who has thrown five straight shutouts. “We’ll be ready (tonight).”

Gaynor and Toms River are trying to become only the second team to win U.S. back-to-back championships. Long Beach, Cal., led by Sean Burroughs, won in 1992-93, but the first win came as a result of a forfeit. Casey Gaynor, built much like Burroughs, beat Phenix City, 6-0 in the opener of pool play.

Mike Gaynor has been known to gamble and could go with left-hander Zack Del Vento, who shut down Boise, Idaho, 4-0, and save Casey for the ultimate title game.

“We’re going to have our hands full with the South,” said Mike, who will make a final pitching decision tomorrow after practice yesterday. “I’d like to get Casey to Saturday somehow, but we still have to win tomorrow night. We’ll see how things go. The South hit the ball real well last night so it kind of changes things a little bit.”

Any pitcher who pitches more than an inning tonight will not be eligible to pitch Saturday.

“I’d rather pitch the World Championship game, but we have to get through this one first,” said Casey, who started last year’s world championship game.

Members of last year’s championship team began arriving yesterday to support this year’s team. Left-hander Scott Fisher was due to pitch batting practice before the rains came. Star shortstop Todd Frazier will arrive today to cheer on this new fun bunch.

Phenix City will start lefty Colby Rasmus, who was belted around in their first meeting. South manager Tony Rasmus, who quit his high school teaching and coaching job to stay with the team, admitted his team was “scared to death” by the Beast of the East fans in that first game. Since then, Phenix City has risen from the ashes, getting a last-inning grand slam home run to pull out a 5-4 victory over Brownsburg, Ind., when the Central team left its tiring starter in too long and pummeled the West, 12-0, perhaps the weakest team the West has ever sent to the tournament.

The straight-shooting Gaynor who has out-managed the competition the last two years said this of those games, “I was disappointed in what the West had come here with. I guess the West region is pretty soft when it’s a non-California team. I still can’t believe it’s Idaho. Right there tells you maybe there’s something wrong. Then you think about the Central. The Central had [the South] beat. I think if the guy comes in and makes a pitching change, the South is going home You got to think the South is counting their blessings to be in this game.”

Near the end of practice, Gaynor, the only manager to make it to the World Series three times, was spotted carrying a toddler in his arms. Someone asked if Gaynor had another young son who would be here in 10 years.

“No, that’s my nephew,” he said with a smile. “I’ve had enough. If I had to do this over again I’d arrange a kidnapping.”